Railroad-tie composition and process



Patented Jan. 5, 1926.

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HENRY GEORGE JAEGER, 01F ROSE HHLII CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTHTO- R. 'LAMBERTSON AND'ONE FOURTHI TO GEORGECLEMENTS, BOTH- OF EAGLEnoon orrrxcnmronnm; annonn ronnrn' 'ro JULI SESQHNEIDER, or

,LOS ANGELES; CALIFORNIA.

RAILROAD-TIE COM'POSITION AND PROCESS! NoJDrawing.

To all whom-it wu'qz concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY GEORGE JAE- ;nn, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Rose Hill, in the county of Los Angeles andStatesofr'Galifornia, have invented new and useful Improvementsin aRailroadTie Compositionna'ndcProcess, of which the following is aspecification.

My present invention relates to composi- Lions and processes for use inthe production of railroad ties or the like, and particu larly in theproduction of railroad ties or similar structural units, such as fenceposts, barges or the like, for use in tropical climates, one object ofmy invention being the production of an inexpensive material, relativelylight and relatively permanent, which shall be resistant not only to theaction of fire and water, but resistant also to the attacks of ants orother pests which render the use of lumber unsatisfactory in tropicalclimates.

Further objects of my invention are the production of a composition ofthe general character indicated which shall be of low conductivity toheat, sound and electricity, and which shall undergo little expansion orcontraction or warping as a result of thermal or climatic changes.

A further object of my invention is the production of products of thegeneral character indicated which can be worked with ordinary woodworking tools, and which can be flexed, and which shall have superiortensile strength whether cast or molded, and which can be nailed,screwed or spiked in the manner of lumber, and which can be permanentlycolored to any desired shade by means of such coloring agents as are notadversely affected by contact with lime.

Further objects of my invention will appear from the followingdescription and the claims appended thereto, the shock absorbingqualities being important in certain uses of my invention, as when thesame is used in the construction of docks, or the like.

In a preferred embodiment of my process, I admix or saturate about sevenparts of loose organic fibrous material, such as wood shavings, with.sufficient of a preservative liquid, such as crude carbonic acid, and

Application fi1ed:0ctober 4, 1922. Seria1No.-592,42 1-i preferablycomprising a phenol, to com pletely permeate the same, and then permitthismaterial'to'drain untilrit shall be substa-ntially .dry; Theemployment of crude carbolic'acid isadvantageous not only on ac count;of its. preservative action but: on ac count of the aversion of antsthereto, this aversion being attributed by me to the presence ofcarbolic acid.

Separately from the above, I prefer to form a mixture of one part byvolume of finely powdered calcined magnesite with one part by volume ofsilica so finely pulverized as to pass 200 meshes to the inch. Havingadded to seven parts of the fibrous material conditioned as abovesuflicient of a 12 Be. solution of magnesium chloride to saturate thesame, I permit this material to drain and then add one part of finelypowdered calcined magnesite thereto, after which I thoroughly mixtogether all of the materials above mentioned and saturate the same witha 22 B. solution of magnesium chloride in sufficient quantity to form aplastic mass. The whole may then be molded into the desired shapes insuitably prepared forms, in which it should be permitted to undergo arecrystallization while drying, sufficient heat to effect this dryingbeing generated by the chemical interaction of the materials mentioned.

lVhile I have above described in detail one preferred embodiment of myinvention, it will be understood that certain features thereof may beindependently employed, and that various modifications may be madetherein, without departure from the scope of the invention as indicatedabove and as set forth in the appended claims. In particular, it shouldbe observed that the organic fibrous material employed in my process maybe any one of a great variety of substances selected according toconven-.

ience in the locality where my process is used. Pampas grass, riceroots, sugar cane, and even the brush or scrub of the region throughwhich a railroad is to pass, may advantageously be employed, accordingto local conditions.-

lVhatI claim is: 1. A composition Suitable for the P ant:

iacture of railroad ties comprising about seven parts of an organicfibrous material conditioned by saturation with a preservalive liquidcomprising a phenol, then dried, saturated with a solution of magnesiumchloride, and admixed with about one part of powdered calcinedmagnesite.

2 A composition suitable for the manu-- iatture of railroad tiescomprising about so en parts of an organic fibrous material conditionedby satu *ation with a preservative liquid comprising a phenol, thendried, saturated with a solution of magnesium chloride, admixed withpowdered calcined ma gnesite the fibrous material being used in theratio of about seven parts by weight to one part of magnesite and theWhole being then admixed with a preparation comprising one part ofsilica and one part of magnesite (be whole being thereafter moistenedwith sufficient of a 22 B6. solution of magnesium chloride to give thesame a plastic consistency.

2-3. In the process of preparing from plastic materials structural unitssuch as rail road ties especially suitable for use in tropical climatesthe steps which comprise conditioning a loose fibrous organic materialby saturating the same with a preservative comprising a phenol, dryingthe same, saturating the product with a solution of magnesium chloride,adding calcined magnesite thereto, separately preparing a mixture offinely powdered silica and linely powered calcined magnesite,associating all the materials above re'terred to, and moistening thewhole with sufiicient of a solution of magnesium chlorideto give thesame a plastic consistency.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

H. G. J AEGER.

